mayah's bloghttps://lovemayah.com
bienvenido | welcome | bienvenue
Thu, 18 Oct 2018 02:00:06 +0000 en
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healthy decision makinghttps://lovemayah.com/2018/10/17/healthy-decision-making/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/10/17/healthy-decision-making/#respondWed, 17 Oct 2018 20:50:55 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1793Read More]]>Making good decisions is something that I strive for in my daily life. To continue making them, it is my goal to stick to schedule; which incorporates me time along with time with friends. Making sure that I’m good emotionally, helps me make decisions. In anxiety I discussed how I have used yoga and daily meditation as ways to cope (and conquer) my anxiety. I also make sure that I’m sleeping well and eating healthy. Doing these things help me feel like the best version of myself. I also am working on maintaining a strong school schedule.

One thing that I’ve been working on is the art of quitting. I was raised that though life can be challenging, I am capable of overcoming these obstacles. This led me to have an I can do anything attitude. While I think that it helped me a lot, it means I have struggled with quitting. Last year, I was secretary of an organization that I was passionate about, but the work load was too much for me. So I quit. It was the first time I said officially I quit and meant it. For most other things, like playing the piano, I had just stopped. But this I quit.

Today, for the first time ever, I dropped a class. The class honestly was a lot of work, and did not really affect my schedule (by not really, I will still graduate in three and a half years). But by dropping the class, I am saving myself from a lot of headache. But the problem is, there will be a W on my transcript, so it will be known that I quit. I’m learning now that it’s okay to quit. It’s okay to say enough is enough. It’s okay to want more or less or something different. This is the life that you have, therefore it is your responsibility to make yourself happy. So if you need to withdraw and get a W on your transcript so be it. Your mental stability is so much bigger than a class. Or an org. Or a relationship.

I deserve to rejoice in life. I accept all the pleasure life has to offer.

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/10/17/healthy-decision-making/feed/0papayah24anxietyhttps://lovemayah.com/2018/09/26/anxiety/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/09/26/anxiety/#respondWed, 26 Sep 2018 19:17:47 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1785Read More]]>When I tell you, I’m so excited to be making this post, I think excited is an understatement. Last school year, I really struggled with anxiety. I was super anxious, and really my mental health was not the best. At the beginning of 2018, I was not doing that great. I remember debating about going to therapy with one of my friends and I got to the point where I was like that’s really not for em. But after addressing how much I was crying (I would say like three+ times a week) and how I felt overall, I decided I needed to do something. So since therapy just wasn’t for me, I turned to yoga and meditation. I was determined to get closer to myself and to God.

I’ll say this, I’ve been doing yoga and meditating on a regular basis for years now. But what I did was incorporate it into my daily activities. Before I feel it was more of an “i’m already stress i need to release it”, to more of a preventive measure. Like I go to yoga and meditate to continue being in my space and as a process of releasing.

It was life changing, therefore it was uncomfortable. I have changed the way I viewed relationships, love and life in general. I think all of these changes have been positive. I realized how far I’ve come this summer, when I was working at a summer camp. I was discussing with one of my coworkers about anxiety and I thought- “I haven’t had an anxiety attack in months.” I was nervous to go back to school because my mental health and emotional well being were doing so much better, but I realized that I would just have to implement what I learned into my life at college.

This journey has been full of lessons, but the most important one I’ve learned is I have to put myself first. My second favorite lesson was that I need to be where my feet are. Within the last two days, I’ve had a couple of small anxiety attacks (which were not nearly as bad as they used to be). I decided I needed to go to bed earlier, do some yoga and eat a yummy dinner. I almost instantly felt better. I was so proud of myself and I truly feel I’m learning how to take care of myself.

It’s important to take care of yourself, constantly. Doing so will change your life. Trust me, I’ve done it.

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/09/26/anxiety/feed/0papayah24embracing lonelinesshttps://lovemayah.com/2018/08/31/embracing-lonliness/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/31/embracing-lonliness/#respondSat, 01 Sep 2018 03:00:51 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1771Read More]]>As people, I feel like we often try to avoid feeling lonely. We fill it with requirements, and other people so we never feel “alone”. After going through my whole emotional transition within my relationship, and working full time, I never really had time to think and heal. I moved into my new apartment on Tuesday and honestly the idea of being alone is scary. But I want to heal. So I’ve decided to embrace the loneliness. Because in reality loneliness is a perception of what you feel you should feel. I used to be alone and not feel lonely, but now I do. And I’m here to tell you that being lonely is part of healing. I told my sister a few months ago, that I view healing as an individual process, so I wanted to give her the space she needed to heal. Now I just have to give myself that space.

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/31/embracing-lonliness/feed/0papayah24everything you need is within youhttps://lovemayah.com/2018/08/22/everything-you-need-is-within-you/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/22/everything-you-need-is-within-you/#respondThu, 23 Aug 2018 01:58:21 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1767Read More]]>In my yoga class today, we discussed the importance of yin yoga. And my instructor was explaining that yin yoga, since it is a slower practice, forces you to go within yourself. Last year, I really found that yin helped me heal a lot, but I think it’s because I needed to start focusing on myself more. I needed to start to understand that the feeling of love and happiness that I desire is within myself. And that I have to be the one that loves me. I mentioned in another blog that I was transitioning out of a relationship that meant a lot to me. One of my fears about doing so, was that since this relationship was with someone who knew me so well, that if it didn’t work out, was anyone else going to love me? I recently have gotten to a point where I realized that I am enough. It is enough that I love me. Looking to others for so long has left me unhappy. But when I’m doing yoga, or sitting in silence, or meditating, that’s when I feel whole. I feel whole when I’m balanced, which only I can do for myself. Around this time last year, I had a life changing conversation with God; I was upset because I was struggling to maintain friendships. I was like why can’t I have any friends?! And His response was “To protect your energy”. After that I changed the way I view relationships. I am conscious of my energy, and beginning to really think of my presence as well. What I need is within myself, and in order to have things outside of myself I need to be balanced and stay within my own space. But this is where boundaries and things of that nature are important. I will be available for what I want to be. And if I don’t, then I won’t do it. I deserve to have my space respected and so do you. You are enough. Always remember that.

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/22/everything-you-need-is-within-you/feed/0papayah24the universemy presencehttps://lovemayah.com/2018/08/22/my-presence/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/22/my-presence/#respondThu, 23 Aug 2018 01:41:58 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1764Read More]]>Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the value of my presence. While I have for the most part valued my presence, I have come to realize that understanding the importance of your presence is essential for loving yourself. You have to know that you are important, irreplaceable and worthy of love. With this in mind, I’ve been being more conscious of the amount of effort I’m putting into other relationships. I want to be in relationships where my energy is matched. Where I feel that I can be my most authentic self. So that’s what I’ve decided to do. This summer, has really been a growing experience for me, and I’ve truly started to learn how to create boundaries and limit/increase my presence in certain situations.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned in this process is that relationships go through phases. And these phases serve purposes. While I am on this journey to love myself authentically, I’ve had a lot of alone time and also a lot of time with my mother. Experiencing the feeling of unconditional love from her (as an adult, instead of a child) really has helped me. It’s also made me more conscious of the fact that I’m important.

Today at the end of my yoga class, my instructor thanked me for coming. And after I was pondering on why my presence is always acknowledged. Because the same acknowledgment happened after I went to an event to talk about yoga teacher training, but the instructor explicitly told me that she loved my energy and I realized it’s because I am a light. My presence is important and healing, therefore it is important for me to be conscious of who I am allowing into my space but more importantly WHY i’m allowing them in my space.

I’m sharing this all to say, that acknowledging your self worth is crucial to loving yourself. So take that moment to really feel the importance of your presence.

And as always, remember it is all a growing process. Be patient with yourself.

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/22/my-presence/feed/0papayah24vibrationwhy I do yogahttps://lovemayah.com/2018/08/05/why-i-do-yoga/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/05/why-i-do-yoga/#commentsMon, 06 Aug 2018 02:37:43 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1761Read More]]>So one of my students asked me a while ago why I do yoga, and I told him that it’s the one time I’m completely in the moment, and I’m just focused on being present. But I’ve realized it’s more than that. I do yoga to love myself. To love my body. To release the past. To embrace how I am exactly in the moment. It’s an act of self-love, that I make time for. I’ve been going through a pretty big emotional transition, and I’ve realized that going to yoga has really helped me. I went four times within the last week, and I honestly feel so much better. It’s really important to take care of yourself. I got a massage on Saturday, and my masseuse told me that in order to take care of my kids, I have to take care of myself. And while that’s true, I have to take care of me for me, not for anyone else or anything else. I am my own motivation and I think that you should be your own. Grow to be the best person you can be.

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/08/05/why-i-do-yoga/feed/1papayah24protective styleshttps://lovemayah.com/2018/07/18/protective-styles/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/18/protective-styles/#respondThu, 19 Jul 2018 01:02:34 +0000http://lovemayah.com/2018/07/18/protective-styles/Read More]]>protective styles help your hair grow because they help you retain moisture and reduce manipulation. the biggest question is: how do i choose the right one? for me, I started with braids because I knew braids worked for my hair. as a little girl, I wore braids all the time and it grew my hair out. I always only used my natural hair, so i didn’t consider adding weave to my hair. while i do think weaves are beneficial, it’s just not for me. so I used to braid my hair often, until one of my friends twisted my hair. I barely shed at all and my hair lasted very well. Since then, twists have been my go to protective style. Here are some examples of how I do my hair!

These two pictures are my current hair style! I did three french braids after washing and deep conditioning. I then pinned them up and made it into a halo braid. I’m currently on day 2, and my hair is looking great!

This was my style last week! I washed, deep conditioned then flat twisted my hair. For work, I pinned the flat twists up, into a halo twist.

These last three are results from a flat twist out as well. I always flat twist to make sure my roots are moisturized and catch the curl.

I’ve found that picking a protective style that looks like your natural curl pattern makes the style last longer! I would say if your pattern is looser, try braids and if it’s tighter do twists!

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/18/protective-styles/feed/0papayah24hair typeshttps://lovemayah.com/2018/07/17/hair-types/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/17/hair-types/#commentsTue, 17 Jul 2018 23:57:53 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1751Read More]]>There are a variety of different factors that affect how your hair works. Let’s look at the ones I have found most important.

Density- your hair is either fine, combination or coarse. This is literally regarding the size your hairs. For me, my hair is coarse, meaning it’s very thick stranded. Density is not affected by your hair pattern.

Curl pattern- determined by the shape of your curls! This is important mostly for protective styling. I have type 3c hair; meaning that my hair resembles a twist. So twists are the best option for me for protective styling!

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/17/hair-types/feed/1papayah24hair care 101https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/17/hair-care-101/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/17/hair-care-101/#respondTue, 17 Jul 2018 23:40:50 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1748Read More]]>hello! my name is mayah and I want to help you with your hair!

I started doing my hair myself about four years ago, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made! I went natural because my hair was limp and damaged from eczema in my scalp and stress. My hair was breaking off and my dermatologist told me the only solution was to start washing my hair weekly. So I pretty much had to go natural, at least on my off weeks (at that time I was getting my hair pressed bimonthly). Eventually, I fell in love with doing my hair and haven’t looked back since. I am so proud of the progress I’ve made on my hair, I want to share my tips and help you! I have a hair section on my blog, but I want this subcategory to be specific to giving information about the science of black hair and how to grow it!

¡Buena suerte!

]]>https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/17/hair-care-101/feed/0papayah24asking for timehttps://lovemayah.com/2018/07/07/asking-for-time/
https://lovemayah.com/2018/07/07/asking-for-time/#respondSat, 07 Jul 2018 23:12:50 +0000http://lovemayah.com/?p=1745Read More]]>One of the things I’ve learned recently is that asking for time is acceptable. That sometimes you just need some time. In my case, I asked the universe for some time. I need some time before I feel that I can commit to some of my full adult responsibility. I need the time to figure out what I like, what I love and who I really am. So this morning, I asked for seven years. In each case, the amount of time you need is different. I know for me, I need time to finish school (undergraduate and graduate), get a job and be financially stable. But at the same time, I need time in other areas. In my friendships, I need time and space to express myself. In my romantic relationships, I need time and space to express myself, but in a different way. So please remember, ask for time. If you feel you need it, you do.